FSU Alumnus Grey Dodge Joins InSPIRE to Spearhead Community Outreach and Partner Engagement
Florida State University (FSU) InSPIRE, the Institute for Strategic Partnerships, Innovation, Research, & Education, today announced the appointment of Grey Dodge as Director of Community Relations & Partnership Engagement.
Dodge joins from the City of Panama City where he served as Director of Economic Development, overseeing crucial development efforts through sustainable private sector growth to create a diverse and stable local economy. His efforts resulted in significant job creation and the licensing of more than 5,000 businesses in the city during his tenure, helping small and entrepreneurial businesses open and expand through a newly created Business Navigator program. As head of the Community Redevelopment Agency, he oversaw a $4 million annual budget in infrastructure projects, commercial and residential grants.
“Grey is playing a vital role in forging and strengthening our strategic partnerships in the region and helping to secure community involvement in and support of InSPIRE's bold vision for the entire Northwest Florida region,” said InSPIRE Executive Director, Farrukh S. Alvi, PhD. “We know Grey will be a valued asset in helping us achieve our collaborative vision for the future in where NW Florida serves as a dynamic hub of advanced manufacturing and aerospace development for the entire nation.”
Dodge’s knowledge of government and policy experience includes relationships with both the legislative and executive branches of Florida. His efforts leading Florida's Opportunity Zones development during his career includes advising on planning and marketing strategies to attract investors and developers to low-income communities. He educated communities through speaking engagements at national conferences, hosted regional conferences and community-driven workshops, and advocated for equitable development. While Policy Director at the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, he led the selection process for Florida’s Opportunity Zones, collaborating with investors, developers, community stakeholders, and elected state and local officials.
“InSPIRE’s three pillars of workforce development, advanced and additive manufacturing, and hypersonic aerospace development are going to make a massive impact on our region,” said Dodge. “Joining at this time of upward momentum and growth is something I’m hugely excited about as it will benefit so many small to medium sized businesses, startups, and multinationals and, most importantly, our local communities. Residents throughout the region are ideally suited to benefit from and thrive through industry acceleration translating into high paying job creation for years to come.”
Dodge’s time spent as a Gubernatorial Fellow with the Department of Business and Professional Regulation, and as a Legislative Fellow with the Florida House of Representatives, Office of the Majority Leader, gives him valued insights and expertise into business growth, economic development, and deregulation. As a single and multi-family residential developer for Royal American Development in Panama City, he honed his financial feasibility acumen, end-to-end project management and ability to seamlessly interact with government agencies such as the Florida Housing Finance Corporation, for preservation and new construction developments.
A Florida State University graduate, Grey received his Doctor of Law and Master of Business Administration from FSU, and a Bachelor in Political Science from the University of Central Florida. He's a current board member of Habitat for Humanity and Goodwill of the Big Bend.
Currently based at FSU Panama City, InSPIRE’s manufacturing facilities will operate at or near the Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport. The facilities are being designed to accommodate proprietary, confidential, secure, and open contract and grant work for the advanced manufacturing, aerospace, and defense industries.